The Great Dictator
1940
*****
Director: Charles Chaplin
Cast: Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Jack Oakie, Reginald Gardiner, Henry Daniell, Billy Gilbert
Charles Chaplin and Adolf Hitler were born four days apart, and it's ironic that the world's most popular comedy character and its most notorious dictator should bear such a strong physical resemblance. When World War 2 was just about to break out, Chaplin took a massive risk to make this brilliant, scathing satire of Hitler and Nazism. He plays the fascist ruler of Tomainia and a Jewish barber who both look alike. This is his first proper film with sound, although there's still plenty of memorable physical comedy and slapstick.
